The Twentieth Holy Grail War of OT
Designed by Randerith and Tactician J, this War fears nothing in its unorthodox attempts to bring both gameplay balance and plot to a higher standard. As of 7/28, the current version of the rules: 'Background' 'Terms' 'General Rules' #By participating in this War, a player has sworn to generally be civil to both the other players and the GMs. Trolling, lies (to anyone other than the GMs), deceit, chronic backstabbing disorder: anything's allowed, and then some. The only requirements are to not lie to the GMs and to not light fires in the main topics. #These rules may form the foundation of this War, but the individual sheets of the characters hold greater priority. The word of the GMs overrides both the rules and the sheets, but they will do their utmost to make sure that said possibility stays that way. #Any edit to this page not made by either Randerith or Tactician J will be considered unofficial and will be reverted immediately, regardless of whether or not a GM had confirmed it. #No player is allowed to reveal any character's sheet or abilities under any circumstances unless given explicit permission by both GMs. The GMs will reveal all sheets promptly and near-simultaneously after the War ends. #If you have a question, ask. The GMs will answer any and all questions sent their way, but they reserve the right to remain silent if it would compromise a character's sheet. #At the end of a Turn, the War will reach its conclusion if one of the below conditions is met: -A single team comprising exactly one Master and one Servant remain on the battlefield, and no other teams can possibly be formed. -No Masters remain on the battlefield. -No Servants remain on the battlefield. All in all, enjoy your time in the War; what's the point in playing a game if you aren't having fun? Some of the below sections, marked by asterisks (*), have an example given at the end. 'Parameters' A character's capabilities, measured accurately through many methods, are colloquially referred to as their "stats". However, the stats of a Servant are on a completely different level from those of a mere human mage. Health Determines a character’s remaining stamina; attacks will reduce Health over time. When a character’s Health reaches 0 or below, they are considered dead. All Servants possess roughly the same maximum Health, as do all Masters. Because of the superhuman capabilities of the Servants, their maximum Health is significantly higher than that of their Masters. Servants' maximum Health is set at ? for this War; Masters' maximum Health, ?. Familiars may have any amount of Health. Health Regeneration Determines how quickly a character’s body recovers from injuries. This stat varies across the board. Mana Determines the amount of magical energy that a character is capable of accessing. Most skills will reduce the user’s store of Mana. Because Servants are magical beings, they will die if their Mana reaches 0 or below; Masters will only be unable to cast spells. All Servants possess roughly the same maximum Mana, as do all Masters. Because of the miraculous existence of the Servants, their maximum Mana is significantly higher than that of their Masters. Servants' maximum Mana is set at ? for this War; Masters' maximum Mana, ?. Familiars may have any amount of Mana. Mana Regeneration Determines how quickly a character restores their store of Mana, thus allowing additional usage of skills. This stat varies across the board. Strength Abbreviated as STR, this stat measures a character's ability to inflict physical damage on their opponents. The higher a character's STR, the greater the damage they can inflict with physical skills and direct blows. The following values are used for each rank in STR: E: 0 (0%) D: 0.20 (20%) C: 0.40 (40%) B: 0.60 (60%) A: 0.80 (80%) EX: 1 (100%) Each subrank ("+" or "-") is equivalent to 0.03 (3%). Endurance Abbreviated as END, this stat measures a character’s skill at resisting attacks. The higher a character's END, the less damage they will receive from physical attacks. The following values are used for each rank in END: E: 0 (0%) D: 0.10 (10%) C: 0.20 (20%) B: 0.30 (30%) A: 0.40 (40%) EX: 0.70 (70%) Each subrank ("+" or "-") is equivalent to 0.02 (2%). Magical Energy Abbreviated as MAG, this stat measures a character's ability to inflict magical damage on their opponents and how capable they are at casting spells. The higher a character's MAG, the greater the damage they can inflict with spells of all sorts. The following values are used for each rank in MAG: E: 0 (0%) D: 0.20 (20%) C: 0.40 (40%) B: 0.60 (60%) A: 0.80 (80%) EX: 1 (100%) Each subrank ("+" or "-") is equivalent to 0.03 (3%). Magical Resistance Abbreviated as RES, this stat measures a character’s skill at shrugging off magical damage. The higher a character's RES, the less damage they will receive from magical attacks. Only the "Knight" classes tend to have high RES. The following values are used for each rank in RES: E: 0 (0%) D: 0.10 (10%) C: 0.20 (20%) B: 0.30 (30%) A: 0.40 (40%) EX: 0.70 (70%) Each subrank ("+" or "-") is equivalent to 0.02 (2%). Agility Abbreviated as AGI, this stat measures a character’s speed. The higher a character's AGI, the faster they can move both in and out of battle and the greater the chance of them possibly obtaining additional blows. At the beginning of a Turn, if the difference in AGI between a character and their opponent is 2 or more, the character with the higher AGI gains 1 more AP during that Turn. If a character is battling multiple opponents, the highest individual AGI amongst those opponents is used. The following values are used for each rank in AGI: E: 1 D: 2 C: 3 B: 4 A: 5 EX: 7 Each subrank (“+” or “-”) is equivalent to 0.3. Luck Abbreviated as LCK, this stat measures a character’s luck. It is unknown how this is measured, but it seems as though certain skills base themselves off their user’s LCK, and particularly lucky people can avoid negative effects from those skills. This stat is also used as a tiebreaker in determining the order of actions. At the beginning of a Turn, if the difference in LCK between a character and their opponent is 3 or more, non-Special damage inflicted by the character with the higher LCK increases by 25% during that Turn. If a character is battling multiple opponents, the highest individual LCK amongst those opponents is used. The following values are used for each rank in LCK: E: 0 D: 2 C: 4 B: 6 A: 8 EX: 11 Subranks: +, -: .5 ++, --: 1 +++, ---: 2 ++++, ----: 4 +++++, -----: 8 Noble Phantasm Each Servant possesses at least one special skill of astonishing power known as a "Noble Phantasm", abbreviated as NP. A character's NP rank measures the overall effectiveness of their Noble Phantasm(s). This stat is special and is not considered with the main six stats for the purpose of skills. A Noble Phantasm's subranks only mean that it is not quite the same strength as its base rank, but that difference isn't great enough to constitute a full rank. 'Servant Classes' Each Servant is categorized under a class, which provides a rough estimate of their strengths and weaknesses and reflects details they were famed for in their original lives. Saber A skilled swordsman, known as the most balanced class. The Saber class tends to also be the most powerful class, and many Sabers have won previous Wars. One of the three Knight classes, alongside Archer and Lancer. Archer A fighter that is capable of many ranged and long-ranged attacks and excels at scouting and attacking from a distance. One of the three Knight classes, alongside Saber and Lancer. Lancer A warrior known for their extreme speed in battle. One of the three Knight classes, alongside Saber and Archer. Rider A warrior that rides either a form of beast or a machine into combat. Multiple Noble Phantasms are known to be at their disposal. Berserker A fighter that is able to enhance their abilities at the cost of their sanity. Assassin A sneaky fighter that makes up for physical weakness with many powerful skills and the ability to move unnoticed. Caster A fragile fighter that excels in dealing magical damage. Of the main seven classes, this class is the only one to be magic-oriented. 'Familiars*' A character may possess the ability to summon other unique characters with special abilities. A familiar will not intercept attacks that target their summoner unless commanded to. A familiar will automatically transmit what they see to their summoner under normal circumstances, though the level of detail can vary greatly; some familiars may only be intelligent enough to transmit the number and types of characters in an area and nothing else. 'Actions and Delaying*' 'Skills*' The key to winning a conflict is cleverly using whatever's available. SKILL FORMAT: Name: Rank: Type: Max Number of Targets: Type of Target: Base Damage: Cost: Upkeep: Requirements: Description: Name: The name of the skill. No significance. Rank: A rough estimation of the skill’s power. Type: The skill's type. - Passive: A skill that activates instantly, affects solely the user, and is not considered an action. - Instant: A skill that occurs during the Instant Phase. - Surprise Attack: A skill that occurs during the Instant Phase, and renders opponents unable to act during that Turn of battle. If a target detects the user, the skill will be canceled, and all activation costs of that skill will be refunded to the user. - Support: A skill that occurs during the Support Phase. - Anti-Unit: A Combat Skill that targets one character in the same area as the user. - Anti-Fortress: A Combat Skill that targets more than one character in the same area as the user. - Anti-Army: A Combat Skill that targets every character in the same area as the user. - Anti-Civilization: A Combat Skill that targets every character on the map. - Prepared: A skill that occurs during the Prepared Effect Phase. - Summoning: A skill that calls forth a familiar to aid the user. - Bounded Field: A special type of skill that affects a location. Only one Bounded Field can be active in an area; if a different Bounded Field is activated in that area, it will be canceled, and all activation costs of that skill will be refunded to the user. - Reality Marble: A unique skill that pulls all opponents in the immediate area into a special, separate area controlled by the user. Only one Reality Marble can be active in an area; if a Reality Marble is activated from inside another, both Marbles will be canceled. Max Number of Targets: The maximum number of targets that can be selected for the skill. Type of Target: The valid targets for the skill. A skill must target at least one of each type listed when activated. Base Damage: The amount and type of damage the skill inflicts. Cost: The costs the user must pay in order to activate the skill. Most skills require AP, SP, and/or Mana, but some skills may require other unusual forms of payment. Upkeep: The costs the user must pay at the Initial Phase of a Turn in order to keep the skill active for that Turn. If the user decides not to pay or is unable to, the skill will be canceled. Requirements: The conditions that must be met in order to activate the skill. If even one condition is not met beforehand, all activation costs of the skill will be refunded to the user. Description: A description of how the skill works. Any special effects the skill may have will appear directly under this section. 'Status Effects' 'Calculating Damage' 'Conditionals*' 'Contracts and Command Spells*' 'The Sensebound Lenses*' Each team possesses one of twelve monocle items collectively known as the "Sensebound Lenses" (shortened to Lenses). Unfortunately, the Lenses' current forms only hold one-third of their original powers. When the wearer of a Lens detects a character through the eye their Lens is worn over, and chants an activation trigger, a spiritual connection of sorts known as a "Lensjack" will be established between the holder and that character. Activating a Lens trigger is considered a free action. The available activation triggers: "Sightjack": The user will know where the target is and what they're doing as seen through that character's eye, which can reveal their position, any character they detect, and any battle they're in. "Soundjack": The user will know what the target is saying and hearing as heard through that character's ear, which can reveal their position, any conversations they're having, and any Lens triggers they activate. "Souljack": The user will know what the target is thinking, which can reveal their position, the names of any skills they activate, and any battle they're in. The user will also be able to initiate mental contact with the target in order to communicate with them, but doing so will make the target aware of the jack; this substitutes the telepathic links between partners that were found in previous Wars. "Sensejack": This trigger can only be activated if the Lens has been restored at least once. The user will activate at least two of the Lens's aforementioned built-in effects simultaneously. "Cancel": Though this trigger is always available to the user, it can only be activated if the user has a Lensjack active. The Lens's active effects will be canceled. "Candlejack": This trigger is only available to a Servantless Master. That Master will be warped to, and confined within the IGM Offices, and they will be immune to damage, effects, and death. However, once they activate this trigger, any War-related items they were holding will be dropped in their position, and they will not be allowed to rejoin the War. At the beginning of the War, each team can choose the character that will don the Lens that is available to their team, the eye they will wear it over (left or right), and one effect they will lock their Lens with for easy access ("Sightjack", "Soundjack", or "Souljack"). They may also choose not to immediately lock their Lens with an effect for a later time. For a price, the Tenth, located in the Northern IGM Office, can reset the lock on a Lens, allowing its holder to lock a different effect with it. A Lens can only affect one character at a time, though it can have more than one effect active on that character after it is restored at least once. A Lens can only be restored twice. A character is only able to wear two Lenses at most; any other Lenses they possess will simply be pocketed. If the user is wearing two Lenses, and both Lenses have the effect of Sightjack active, the user will be unable to act until they activate "Cancel" on at least one of their active Lenses. If two users have the effect of Souljack active on each other, or if they have the effect of Sightjack active on each other and over the same eye, their Lenses' effects will be canceled, and both of them will be unable to act for the rest of the Turn. If three or more users have the effect of Souljack active on each other in a closed loop; or if they have the effect of Sightjack active on each other, over the same eye, and in a closed loop; all of their Lenses' effects will be canceled, and all of them will be unable to act for the rest of the Turn. '???' A special surprise that will only be revealed once this War is ready to begin! 'Turn Order' 'Scouting' 'Regeneration and Spirit Form' 'Movement' 'Rules of Engagement*' 'Ambushes' 'Aerial Combat*' 'Fleeing' 'Bounded Fields and Reality Marbles' 'Consuming' 'Mana Transfer*' The Masters of this particular War have a unique mastery over their Mana stores that allows them to conduct a streamlined transfer of Mana to others; however, as with all new things, the starting dash is the hardest part. The first few times will definitely be shaky, but by bonding with others, a character's compatibility with them rises. If refined enough, a link may become perfect! Mana Transfer allows a Master to transfer some of their Mana to one other character. A "Mana Transfer Level" gauge and a "Mana Transfer Experience" gauge are attached under each Master's Health and Mana gauges and follow this format: Mana Transfer Level (character's name): Mana Transfer Level Held Mana Transfer Experience (character's name): Mana Dissipated A Mana Transfer Level gauge has a minimum of 0 points and a maximum of 5. A Mana Transfer Experience Level gauge has a minimum of 0 points and a maximum of 5. Servants cannot initiate Mana Transfer. A Master is able to transfer up to 100 Mana to either a partner or an ally once per Turn. If the target's Mana is less than 100 of its maximum, the Master can only transfer up to that missing amount instead. Depending on a Master's Mana Transfer Level with the target, Mana might dissipate as it's being transferred, but that lost Mana will strengthen the link between them in the long run. Initiating a Mana Transfer is considered a free Support action. A Master cannot initiate Mana Transfer while they're in battle. Regardless of a Master's Mana Transfer Level and Mana Transfer Experience with an ally, if that Master's alliance with that ally's team breaks, those gauges with that ex-ally will reset to 0. Aside from the aforementioned restrictions and barring a few exceptions, a player is allowed to be creative with their means to initiate a Mana Transfer with the target, and the GMs will consider each means on a case-by-case basis. One caveat: nothing too wacky. Tactician J is not exactly a master of writing unusual fornication techniques... 'Tainted Gold and Purified Gold' A Master can earn a special currency known as Gold that can be used to activate certain effects around the map if their team inflicts and/or receives damage; however, because of the method used to earn that Gold, it will start off Tainted. The amount of Tainted Gold a Master gains at the end of each Turn is calculated by this formula: Tainted Gold Gained = Damage Inflicted + Damage Their Partners Inflicted + 0.5 * (Damage Received + Damage Their Partners Received) A character is unable to earn Tainted Gold for the Master of their team if they battle any other character that was partnered with them at the beginning of the Turn. Masterless Servants are unable to earn Tainted Gold. Any member of a team is able to access its Master's Gold in order to purchase items. Since Masters' Gold would need to be accessed at a whim, all Gold a team has is still held by the Master of that team should a contract within that team be broken. Only Purified Gold is considered an item; Masters cannot transfer Tainted Gold between themselves, and Tainted Gold cannot be dropped in an area. If the Master of a team dies, that Master's Tainted Gold disappears, but their Purified Gold will be dropped in their position. If a Masterless Servant has Purified Gold and contracts with a different team, that Servant's Purified Gold will be transferred to the Master of that team. At the end of every seventh Night, all Masters' Tainted Gold will convert to Purified Gold. 'Items' 'IGM System' 'The Scouring' At the end of every seventh Night and before all Masters' Tainted Gold converts to Purified Gold, every member of the team with the least available Tainted Gold will be marked as a special target, as in Fate/Zero; if at least two teams are tied for last, all members of those teams will be marked. However, unlike in Fate/Zero, Command Spells will not be given; instead, the first character that kills a mark may choose one of the below rewards: *Restore one Lens in their possession once. *Gain one of the five Lenses in the IGMs' stock. In case of a tie, all successful teams will be rewarded. If a character is unable to choose either reward, a valid partner of theirs will be rewarded instead; if that character does not have a valid partner that can be rewarded, no reward will be given to that team. The Scouring lasts until either a mark is killed or three Turns pass, whichever comes first. Until The Scouring ends, Reality Marbles cannot be activated, and any effect that would prevent either a mark from being targeted or a mark's position from being entered will be negated. 'Story-Granted Skills' Starting from Night 10, a countdown will begin until the War experiences a Night with no fighting whatsoever, at which point special story updates will occur; as a result of these story updates, all surviving Masters will gain new skills. Ten Nights after the first set of special story updates appear, a second countdown will occur. For example, if Night 10 experiences no battles, thus unlocking the first set of story updates, the next countdown to the second set would begin on Night 20. 'Miscellaneous' 'Communication' A player can communicate with any other player through the Public Updates. At the end of each Night, every player will know which other players they are allowed to contact outside the Public Updates until the next deadline. Both GMs expect all players to have a code of honor regarding this contact system. Aside from the aforementioned restrictions, a player is allowed to be creative with their in-game means to contact others, and the GMs will consider each means on a case-by-case basis. 'Alliances' The Holy Grail can sense camaraderie between opposing Servants, as well as between opposing Masters. It feeds off despair. It thirsts for blood to be spilled onto the earth. Sensing reassurance makes its meals taste bad. Because of the Grail's unrest in this particular War, allies will not be exempt from being affected by most skills, and alliances can only comprise two teams at most; any more will not be acknowledged in those players' Updates. 'Updates and Narration' In this War, all updates- Status, Public, Story, and the like- will be made quite detailed; this allows not only a vivid amount of detail for players to discern and a balance of humor and seriousness for them to enjoy, but also a good incentive for Tactician J to develop the storylines of all characters in this War. In each of the first seven Public Updates, each of the seven Masters will be spotlighted, the order chosen at random. Starting from the eighth Night, if a team is marked for The Scouring, the members of that team will be spotlighted for the next three Public Updates, and the IGMs will humor everyone for the rest of that week's Public Updates, with the most "exciting" events being revealed through the viewpoint of either those two or a separate entity. If no team is marked for the Scouring, a team may request to be spotlighted if they so choose. However, other than an omniscient viewpoint of the volunteers' eventful actions, there are currently no other rewards planned for them. (Subject to change- maybe.) Regardless of whatever blood-pumping events transpire, civilian deaths will always be shown in the Public Updates. A person may request a specific character from any medium that Tactician J might be aware of to become an unfortunate victim of this bloody War, and it will consider each suggestion on a case-by-case basis. 'Move Deadlines' 'Logic Game' A system of reasoning has been developed for use in the Public Updates. Participation is mandatory. For a person to state something that they guarantee to be true, they should use red text, which on GameFAQs is created through the tags < em >< b >< i >text< /em > < /b > < /i > (remove the spaces within the tags). A person is not allowed to state something untrue in red. If they do so, a GM will be forced to correct it, and that person will receive a strike; if they are proven to have intentionally stated that incorrect red, they will instead receive three strikes. If they correct their incorrect red before a GM can do so, they will not be penalized. For a person to state a hypothesis or supposition, they should use blue text, which on GameFAQs is created through the tags < em >< b >< b >text< /b >< /b >< /em > (remove the spaces within the tags). Not just any hypothesis can be stated in blue; a blue hypothesis must have an adequate basis supporting it that would make it sound more plausible than any other possibility; its plausibility can be increased by combining it with red text that eliminates other possibilities. If the instigated considers a possibility that is as plausible as the one the instigator stated, they can avoid answering the instigator's blue by stating their own counter-hypothesis in blue; if not, they are obligated to respond with red text that either denies or confirms that blue. If the instigated fails to respond to a blue by the time of the next Public Update, they will get a warning; on each subsequent failure, they will instead get one strike. The moment a person receives three strikes, they will be banned from participating in the Logic Game, their red will lose the guaranteed property of being true, and other people will have no obligation to respond to their blue. If a GM wishes to make a statement, they can use gold text. Gold text is always true, and it is guaranteed that no mistake is being made. Only this War's GMs are allowed to use gold. 'Examples'